


a thousand times over

by orro



Category: Tokyo Ghoul
Genre: Adopted Sibling Relationship, Brothers, Gen, No Spoilers, Origami, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-08
Updated: 2019-03-08
Packaged: 2019-11-13 19:38:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,319
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18037595
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orro/pseuds/orro
Summary: “Present time, here!” Hide says the moment Kaneki steps into the classroom. He leaps up, takes Kaneki’s hand, and sets a paper crane in his open palm.





	a thousand times over

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time doing a reverse bang and it was an awful lot of fun. I don't often write from art, so it was a good chance to use that skill, and when I saw Jo's art I absolutely wanted to write something for it. 
> 
> Please check out the art by [Jojo](http://fukurou-hime.tumblr.com/tagged/my-art%22) AND the second fic inspired by the art by [Lys](https://archiveofourown.org/users/angeltrumpets).
> 
> http://fukurou-hime.tumblr.com/post/183308746419/paper-cranes-for-the-tokyoghoulreversebang
> 
> https://archiveofourown.org/works/18039260

“Present time, here!” Hide says the moment Kaneki steps into the classroom. He leaps up, takes Kaneki’s hand, and sets a paper crane in his open palm. 

It’s not a good thing that Kaneki is so meek but it’s handy sometimes like now, that he lets Hide manhandle him the way he needs to. Kaneki blinks and stares at the paper crane, taking in the the details, and it makes Hide squirm because with that gaze Kaneki is sure to see all the faults. The head is a wobbly mess and he messed up on one of the wings so it’s not as sharp of a fold as it could be. The paper is super wrinkled because he had to keep redoing the first few steps. It’s not a pretty crane, all in all.

“Thank you,” Kaneki says, without asking why. 

“Ah, okay, so I’m sorry cause I didn’t realize you’ll have to carry it around the whole day now. I guess you won’t notice if it gets smashed though cause it’s all wobbly anyway.” Hide realizes and he scratches at the back of his head sheepishly. 

Kaneki muffles a laugh. 

“It wouldn’t be Hide if you thought ahead,” he teases. 

“I slaved over that for the whole afternoon.” Hide pretends to wail. “I suffered so many paper cuts for you!” 

Kaneki gives out a proper laugh at that and Hide likes that sound the best, rather than the little sounds that Kaneki tries to smother. Sure enough, as the teacher walks in to start the class, Kaneki sets the crane on the edge of his desk with a proud smile. He guards it carefully the whole day, cradling it in his arms as he walks home after school. Hide can practically see it on Kaneki’s bookshelf already, treasured like one of his precious books, and it’s hard not to feel giddy over that. 

The next day Hide hands Kaneki another crane. Hide doesn’t have to say anything more because he sees the realization in Kaneki’s eyes as he accepts the second crane with a thanks. 

They’re eating lunch when Kaneki squirms next to him. 

“What?” Hide prods, pretty sure he knows what he’s about to ask. 

“I wanted to ask what your wish was for the cranes but I just realized I shouldn’t ask,” Kaneki says. 

“That’s right,” Hide says, crowing a little despite himself. “I won’t tell you.” 

Kaneki pulls a face at him but drops the subject; Hide is honestly a little impressed with himself that he even managed to get Kaneki to the point where he would ask. There’s no competition for who Kaneki’s best friend is but it’s still nice to know that that spot is undoubtedly Hide’s. 

#

Hide’s always been a child described as ‘too much’. Too much energy, too much hope, too much for any family to want to adopt him and too much for the CCG to want to take him in. He’s thankful for his dads, who saw and took a chance on him, but he doesn’t know how to explain the enormity of that gratitude.

And he doesn’t have the words either to describe his friendship with Kaneki, who likes to hide himself away and somehow that softens out the blunt energy that Hide seemingly endlessly puts out. It’s like Kaneki is devouring his energy but it never tires Hide out, only makes it so that he can settle down enough for everyone else. It sounds wrong like that though, like Kaneki is a monster, when really it’s just that Hide doesn’t know how to stop. 

Everyone is hoping it evens out as he grows up but Hide doesn’t see how. There’s so much to do, so much to see, and he wants to experience it all. 

But this much he understands; being friends with Kaneki has been good for them both. He doesn’t know how to explain it but he can sit down each night and focus enough to make a paper crane for Kaneki, and that feels like a good way to explain it for now. 

#

“The piggy bank is out, eh?” his dad Yuuto says, leaning against the doorway. Hide is at his desk, coins and bills scattered over it as he counts up his money. “What are we trying to buy today? An elephant? Airplane? Private island?” 

“You made me lose count,” Hide says with a huff. He’s already in his pajamas and he’s finished his cranes for the night. Hide turns around to look at his dad, not bothering to start again because he knows his dad has more to say. 

“Ah yes, those extremely high numbers are difficult,” Yuuto teases. “I remember having trouble with the ‘twenties’ as well.” 

“Dad,” Hide whines at him. 

“What are you trying to buy?” Yuuto asks him seriously. 

Hide bites his lip because he’s pretty sure if he says it, his dad will say it’s not a problem and that they can buy it for him. Sometimes he still thinks this life is a dream, that he’ll wake up and be back in the CCG orphanage, but he doesn’t tell them when he has those nightmares because that’s all they are, just dreams. 

“Paper,” he mumbles, turning back to run his hands over the coins and bills. 

“We can buy you paper, you know?” Yuuto says, looking a little confused. 

“I don’t think it counts if you buy it,” Hide says. “I’m pretty sure it has to come from me.” 

His dad looks at the finished crane on his desk and smiles at him softly. 

“I don’t think that matters, kiddo,” Yuuto says. “It’s the thought and the work. Anyone can buy paper but not everyone has the fortitude to keep going for a thousand. You probably realize by now how long it’ll take.”

“Like a month,” Hide says. It’s not an impossible task. In fact, it’s very possible, he just needs to keep at it, and Hide is stubborn enough that giving up isn’t even a thought in his brain. 

“Sure, a month,” Yuuto says, messing up his hair. “Go to sleep. You have school tomorrow.” 

Hide sticks his tongue out at him but lets him help gather up all the coins to return to his bank. He’s not convinced but he's pretty sure that he’s going to go talk to his other dad and they’re going to buy him more paper. 

Sure enough, a couple of days later, Yuuto calls out that he has a present for him. Hide still bounces over because he loves getting presents, even if it’s just a candy bar from a vending machine. He rips open the packaging to see an origami set, specifically labelled for making a thousand cranes. 

“It’s super nice,” he says, meaning it but even he can hear that the words are a little hollow. 

“What’s wrong with it?” Yuuto asks. 

Hide doesn’t know how to explain it. The box is perfect; it has crisp, beautiful paper with elegant patterns and bold colors; it even has some extras in case he messes up. But somehow it feels cheap to give it to Kaneki like this. 

“Nothing’s wrong,” he says and he can’t blame his dad for scoffing at him. 

It isn’t until Asahi comes home and he figures it out right away once he sees the box on Hide’s bed, Hide diligently at work on a candy wrapper crane. 

“Here,” Asahi says, offering Hide a wrapper from a nutrient bar, carefully peeled and cleaned. Hide lights up to see it and takes it with a barely remembered thanks. Asahi smiles and glances at the box. “You don’t have to use them all. Use whatever you want. If you feel more comfortable using wrappers and old homework, do that.” 

“Yeah,” Hide says. It’s a poor expression of gratitude but his papa just reminds him that he has a bedtime. 

Hide finishes the wrapper crane and hesitates as he looks at the box set on his bed. He eventually gets up after a determined sigh and sets it on the corner of his desk. It’s too nice and pretty but he thinks Kaneki will still like them just as much as his wrapper cranes. 

#

Kaneki hums to himself as he attaches the last crane to the stack, stringing it up to the wall with the other one. He’s dithered over what order he should hang them up because part of him feels that chronological is best but another part feels that they really need to be grouped together by paper. Hide started out with beautiful sheets of origami paper then moved to normal paper like they use in school and now he’s using whatever he can find. 

Kaneki doesn’t bother to hide a teasing smile whenever Hide presents him with a candy wrapper crane, all the more that he accepts each one as reverently as the last. It doesn’t matter if they’re made out of trash or gold leaf. Hide makes them specifically for him and he treasures them all. 

But they look best when they’re strung up together and Kaneki nods in approval at the completed string of candy wrapper cranes. Something about them suits Hide more than the elegance of the thick paper ones but Kaneki doesn’t think there’s a polite way to explain it. 

He hangs the strand up next to the first one, two out of the twenty-five that Hide plans to make for him. Kaneki hopes that whatever Hide wishes comes true, and he would offer to help but that isn’t how this works. He goes to sleep watching the cranes dangle from the string, still but somehow soaring in his mind. 

The next day when he arrives from school, and to his surprise his aunt stops him and admonishes him for keeping his room trashy. Kaneki blinks, wondering what that’s about because he keeps his room much cleaner than his cousin does but decides it’s not worth it to argue. He apologizes and promises to do better.

Sure enough his aunt doesn’t wait around to hear his response, having made her point and taken her delight in scolding him. He can hear her talking about how her sister raised such a dirty boy and it’s for the best, really, that dear little Ken came to stay with them. 

Kaneki steps into his room and scrutinizes it, trying to find what the heck could even be called dirty in it. All of his clothes is put away or in the laundry basket, there’s nothing on the floor that isn’t furniture. His bookshelf is a mess to him but that’s because he was going through a series and had them all out so he could pick out plot threads. It’s not a mess to anyone else though.

It’s as he’s staring at his bookshelf that he realizes what’s missing, and he turns in horror to see that sure enough, all of his cranes are gone, even the beautifully made ones. There’s a scream rising in Kaneki’s chest and he has to fight as hard as he can to clamp it down. 

He bends to the ground before he knows it, trying to keep everything inside. Kaneki curls up as much as he can and tries to keep from crying, not entirely successful but at least he’s silent so no one can hear him. He doesn't stop until his breathing is calm again; no one called him for dinner but he’s not hungry, something inside of him too exhausted for food. It takes him a while to stand up, his body aching from the awkward position, but it’s something he can feel. 

Kaneki wipes at his face to make sure there’s no trace of tears. He has homework to do for school tomorrow. And he has to do his homework because school is all he has on nights like this. 

#

“And number ninety!” Hide announces when Kaneki walks into class. It’s a candy wrapper crane this time, because his dad spoils him and bought him a snack while coming back from the office, and Hide was more excited about the candy obviously but he’d been very pleased to see the wrapper, even more that his dad peeled it carefully apart for him. 

“Oh, ninety,” Kaneki repeats and blankly accepts it. 

Hide instantly knows something is wrong but Kaneki won’t tell him, of course, so it’s going to be something he has to figure out. He starts talking about how he wants to make the one hundredth crane a little special, so he might use one of the fancy sheets of paper his parents bought him, but Kaneki just winces and looks depressed whenever he mentions it.

“What’s wrong?” He asks, poking the crane number ninety’s head as they walk home. Kaneki has been holding it more closely than normal, as if he doesn’t want to let it out of his sight, but Hide can’t figure out what’s bothering him. 

“Nothing,” Kaneki says. 

Hide sighs and puts his hands behind his head, taking a step ahead to kick at a rock. Kaneki falls behind as he always does. 

“Can’t you just tell me what’s bothering you?” Hide asks. He knows it’s not easy for Kaneki to just say things sometimes but he’s here to help. Hide vents and complains to Kaneki enough that it should go both ways. 

“I...it’s not...it won’t be....one hundred,” he mumbles, and that only confuses Hide more. 

“What’s not?” Hide asks as he turns around to look at him. Kaneki is looking down at his crane and something in Hide’s stomach drops. “What happened to the rest?” 

Kaneki shakes his head, like he doesn’t want to admit it. But Hide knows for a fact that Kaneki would never throw them away, not even the candy wrapper cranes. 

“My aunt…” Kaneki starts and that’s all he needs to say. 

“What the fuck!” Hide shouts. “Who does she think she is? Does she know I made those all? You don't’ just throw away stuff like that!” 

“Hide, please, I’m sorry,” Kaneki says. 

“It’s not your fault but dammit I am so pissed at her now!” Hide scowls and glares at the ground. His blood is boiling but when he looks at Kaneki again, who has the most miserable and ashamed expression, like he’s the one who did it, Hide settles down a little. “I’m not mad at you, okay?” 

“But they were all thrown away and you worked so hard on them,” Kaneki murmurs, still not looking up. 

“Yeah but that’s not your fault,” HIde repeats. “You should stay over at my house this weekend. I’ll ask my dads. I bet you don’t want to go there anyway.” 

Kaneki finally looks up at that, his eyes saying he never wants to go back. But it’s the only place he has right now. They’re not old enough yet to live on their own. 

“Are you sure?” Kaneki asks. 

“Heck yeah,” Hide says, liking this idea the more he thinks about it. “You should just come over every weekend. It’s got to be more fun than staying in your room all the time. Oh but wait, you’re a bookworm, you probably like hiding in your little cave.” 

“My cave?” Kaneki says, a little twist of his lips. “You make it sound like I’m a gremlin.” 

“You’d be one of those that demand riddles but like, they’re all from books, and only another nerd could escape your cave with their life,” Hide teases and Kaneki shakes his head at him. 

“That’s from a movie, isn’t it?”

“Maybe,” Hide pretends and makes Kaneki guess until they have to split paths to go home. 

Kaneki isn’t smiling yet but there’s something more upbeat about his walk until he goes on his own, then he slowly begins to droop as Hide watches him. Hide frowns in thought, trying to think of a way to cheer his friend up, but they’re stuck. Kaneki needs a place to live until he’s old enough to move out, and that’s all there is to it. 

Hide walks home, contemplative.

#

“Look,” Yuuto says, stopping Asahi as he makes his way past Hide’s room. They both had the same idea to check on him but Dad got there first. 

Hide had told them about what Kaneki’s aunt had done, and he’d been furious, determined to make up for the ones she had thrown away. He’s passed out at his desk, the box set opened with most of the papers skewn about, a half finished crane at his fingertips, the other sheets of paper fluttering at each sleep heavy breath he takes. Yuuto sighs and goes over to scoop Hide up, grunting at the effort. Hide doesn’t even move as he’s settled properly into his bed. 

“You know what he’s wishing for,” Asahi says, expression soft. He clears up his desk a little though he doesn’t want to mess up what Hide has going on. Asahi doesn’t say anything about the forgotten homework lying under but he does pull it out and puts it in Hide’s school bag. 

“Yeah, I know,” Yuuto says, turning the desk lamp off and closing the door behind them. “I wish it were as easy as just making a thousand paper cranes.” 

Asahi nods in agreement and goes to the kitchen to make a last cup of tea for them.

“Let’s just adopt him too,” Yuuto blurts out. 

“We can’t just adopt a kid out of nowhere,” Asahi says, though he doesn’t sound totally opposed. “His friend has a family, even if they don’t treat him the way they ought to, and don’t think it doesn’t make me mad. But they’re his blood.” 

“Hide would be such a good brother though,” Yuuto says. 

Asahi sighs and hands them both steaming cups, staring into it. 

“We can ask around,” he suggests. “Maybe she’ll be willing to give us custody. Maybe not. I don’t think it’s worth it to try.” 

“But we’re still going to, right?” Yuuto asks. 

“I think we should,” Asahi says. “I don’t think it’ll happen. But I want to try.”

#

“You know, I hate your aunt,” Hide says as he narrowly avoids dying in game. Kaneki died a few ledges back and he’s just watching, eyes sad and demeanor generally down. 

“I know,” Kaneki murmurs. He won’t agree but it feels good to hear Hide say it out loud. 

“Would you come live with me if you could?” Hide asks. 

“Yes,” Kaneki says without hesitation. Because it’s a daydream and it’ll never happen, so it’s safe to pretend. And it’s always safe with Hide. 

“I’m going to ask my dads to adopt you too then,” Hide says and Kaneki smiles, hiding the oddly sarcastic laugh that wants to spill out of him. It’s just a funny idea of Hide’s, nothing more or less, and it’ll never happen. 

“Yeah, you should,” he says. 

Hide pauses the game and rubs at his eyes. It’s only eight and technically Kaneki should be heading home soon. 

“You want to stay over?” Hide asks. 

“Oh, I want to, but I should probably-” Before Kaneki can even get up Hide smacks at him to stay where he is.

“Can Kaneki stay the night?” Hide hollers and Kaneki smacks his arm, because he wants to but he can’t ask but it doesn’t seem like something Hide should just yell about. 

“We’re right here, you don't’ have to yell,” Yuuto scolds him as he pops his head into Hide’s room. “And sure. Let me call his aunt. He’ll have to borrow some of your stuff for tonight. Bring clothes next time, Kaneki-kun, okay? This boy never knows when he’s going to steal you overnight so just be ready from now on.” 

“O-okay,” Kaneki says, blinking. His aunt will agree of course because that means that Kaneki isn’t in her house for a night. But Hide’s dads are so inviting, it feels odd. “Your dads are nice.” 

“They want me to be more like you,” Hide says. “Not the mopy depressed part, but the studies and does well in school part.” 

“Thanks,” Kaneki says dryly but he understands. 

“My dads would want to keep you, you know,” Hide murmurs. “I asked them. They want to.” 

Kaneki makes a noncommittal noise because it’ll never happen. He can’t help looking around though, thinking that this could all be a new normal for them; two brothers playing a video game after school, relaxing and joking around, instead of what is actually normal for him, hiding in his room to avoid the awkward tension from his supposed family. 

Yuuto returns with a tight lipped smile and tells Kaneki he’s good to stay over for the night, and that they’ll need to finish up their game to get ready for bed. Hide pouts over that but Kaneki just nods. Hide has handheld consoles in his room and sure enough, he breaks them out with a gleeful smile; it’s a struggle to be quiet as they play throughout the night and it’s just past midnight when they finally fall asleep. 

Yuuto tears into Hide’s room with the loudest morning greeting Kaneki has ever heard and he freezes in place on the extra futon they had pulled out for him. 

“Wake up, we have to stop by Kaneki’s place and get him clothes,” Yuuto says.

“No, early wake up, too cruel,” Hide moans into his pillow. Kaneki can hear him since he’s right there but he doubts his dad can hear him. It’s probably enough to hear him whine. 

“That’s what you get for staying up late,” Yuuto teases. “I knew you were going to do that too but you never think ahead. You’re not sneaky, Little Hide.”

“I’m not little!” Hide shouts as he sits up, suddenly roused and energetic. His dad leaves his room with a laugh and Hide glares at the door. “Argh! He knows I hate that!”

They stop at a convenience store for breakfast which Kaneki is used to but it’s more fun with Hide and his dad here, all the more that Yuuto lets them pick whatever, so they load up on sugar. Yuuto seems to think the teachers can deal with it and just shrugs it off when Kaneki wonders out loud if it’s really okay while Hide hisses at him to shut up.

Hide and Yuuto wait outside while Kaneki uses his key to open the door, head down as he avoids meeting his uncle’s gaze, thankful that his aunt and cousin wake up later so that he doesn’t have to meet them. Kaneki changes as quick as he can and rushes out so that Yuuto can drive them to school.

Usually they both walk so Hide crows about how lucky he is until his dad threatens to pull over and make him walk the rest of the way, though Yuuto assures Kaneki he would still drop him off, which makes Hide protest. It’s all very teasing and light though, and it hurts a little to listen even as Kaneki laughs alongside them both. 

“If you need anything, give us a call, Kaneki-kun,” Yuuto says as he pulls up to the school. “You’re Hide’s best friend. I’ve told him this too, it doesn’t matter how late it is or how far away you are, let us know what’s happening and we’ll go pick you up.” 

“T-Thank you,” Kaneki says, bowing his head. He doesn’t know how to handle all of this kindness, all the more that Hide is tapping his foot at them, patiently waiting for them to finish. 

“I told you,” Hide crows. “Come on, Kaneki, let’s be brothers.” 

“Shut up,” Kaneki says with a nervous laugh. He wants it so bad. If he could never go back to his aunt’s, if he could live with his best friend, and it feels so tantalizing close. 

But that sort of happy ending isn’t for someone like him so Kaneki swallows his foolish hopes and dreams to follow Hide into class. Tonight he’ll go back to his aunt’s house, and that’s how his life will continue until he’s old enough to move out, if he makes it that long.

#

“Hello?” 

This was a mistake. Kaneki shouldn’t have done this, shouldn’t have called, shouldn’t have run away-

“Hello? You still there?” 

“Y-yes,” he starts. It’s late at night and he’s on the phone, but he still wipes at his eyes. 

“Kaneki. I thought it was you. Where are you calling from? Do you want us to pick you up? Hold on, let me get my keys,” Asahi says. 

“I’m sorry,” he says. He knows that Asahi is going to say that it’s alright and sure enough he does assure him that it's fine, that Yuuto told him he could, and that it’s no trouble. Kaneki rattles off the address of the convenience store he ducked into to use the phone, and waits, buying a chocolate bar as a thanks for letting him use the pay phone in the back. The store worker throws in a pack of gum as well, telling him not to worry about it, and Kaneki awkwardly paces in the store until Asahi arrives. 

“I’m glad you called for us,” Asahi says gently once they’re in the car and Kaneki wipes at his face again, at the tears falling anew. “What happened, Kaneki?” 

“I don’t know,” he says, only slightly truthful. 

His aunt had left him money for dinner again, but it was already late at night, and it wasn’t enough to call for take out. He’d stood at the door, trying to decide what to do because he was hungry but there wasn’t any food in the house for him, when she had snapped at him. Kaneki can’t even remember what she had said. He’d just taken off in a run, needing to get out and away. 

He tries to explain it without making his aunt look like the villain, because it’s not like she’s his mother, she doesn’t have that responsibility to care for him. And at least she gave him money for food so she clearly wasn’t trying to starve him. It’s not a big deal, he’s overreacting, and he tries to make that clear as well. 

“Would you come live with us if you could?” Asahi asks instead.

Kaneki stares out the window. 

“Yes,” Kaneki sobs out. He knows it wouldn’t be perfect, that he and Hide would have arguments, that they’d be painful and ugly. He’s not asking for perfect. 

Asahi puts a hand on his knee, though he takes it back so he can continue to drive.

“Let’s talk more in the morning, Kaneki,” he says as they park and walk to the front door.

When they arrive to Hide’s home, Hide tackles him, probably having been scolded not to ask any questions. Yuuto is at the door as well, the both of them in pajamas for the night, ready for sleep. 

“Yeah, sleepover!” Hide cries, a little too enthusiastic, clearly forcing it for Kaneki’s sake. 

But Kaneki would rather have this a thousand times over, awkward and embarrassing as it is, because at least this is something real. 

#

“I can’t believe it,” Kaneki says, staring at his new room that he’s sharing with Hide. 

It’s been a year of legalities, police visits, screaming from his aunt, and a terrible decision to run away in the middle of the night. Multiple times, actually, but Kaneki has never regretted them, only that he always had to go back to that terrible place. 

“It’s true, it’s true, happy birthday, Kaneki,” Hide chants, practically bouncing up and down. He wants to scream and jump but that’s not enough to prove how ecstatic he is that Kaneki is officially and legally his brother now. 

“It’s not…” Kaneki trails off because he knows what Hide means and he’s just so damn happy about it. He can’t believe it’s real and he doesn’t want anything to ruin this. If it’s a dream let him stay asleep forever. But he doesn’t say that out loud. 

His bookshelf is new, but all of his books fit on it, and Kaneki looks at it in awe. No one here will try to throw them away or mess with them. The cranes Hide has lovingly crafted are hanging on the sides, proudly showcased, while the ones not yet strung on sit safely on the shelf. 

They’ve already talked about moving into a bigger place so that Kaneki and HIde can have their own rooms. But for now, Kaneki and Hide are quite content to share. Hide had even clung to Kaneki at the notion, insisting that he’s going to share rooms with Kaneki up through university. Both dads had laughed at that and Kaneki had failed to hide his own smile at the ridiculous notion, but there was some truth that now they were brothers, and they could share a dorm in university or an apartment. 

University isn’t a promising escape for him anymore though. It’s just something that will be expected of him, because he’s going to be raised by people who care about him and his future. 

#

“I want to help,” Kaneki says as he watches Hide sit down to make his nightly cranes. 

“You can’t,” Hide says with a lofty grin. “I have to make them all on my own. If you help me that’s cheating. I don’t even let my dads help and they try to sneak them in all the time. Well, not lately, they get that I’m serious about it.” 

Kaneki watches him for a moment. 

“What if I made you a crane?” he asks. “Then it won’t be the same.” 

“You can’t copy my idea,” Hide says. “I started this first.” 

“Yeah but you didn’t start it, start it. It’s a legend. Maybe I had the idea first but you beat me to actually making them,” Kaneki says. 

“No, you didn’t. Don’t cheat like that,” Hide says. 

“I’m going to go ask for some paper,” Kaneki says, giving him a look. 

“Don’t you do it,” Hide warns but Kaneki glides out of the room before he can finish saying it. He comes back with a stack of paper, clean and perfect origami paper, with a triumphant little smile. Hide realizes his parents had bought him more paper and groans. Those meddlesome parents. “Fine, you do can do it with me. But only because I like you. Not because I don’t think you’re a big fat copier.” 

“I don’t copy anything, not even homework,” Kaneki says as he sits down on the bed to sort through the paper, carefully examining them. 

“You never let me copy anyway!” 

“I let you see it all the time but you can’t copy essays, Hide, the teachers notice that right away! It’s not like math or science where the answers can all be the same,” Kaneki explains, wrinkling his nose at him. 

Hide just groans at him, throwing a pen at his head. It smacks Kaneki on the ear and he freezes in place, staring at Hide, who is grinning, bouncing a paper clip in his hand to throw next. It happens slow but Hide watches as Kaneki grabs the nearest thing to him, which happens to be a pillow, and whacks him in the face with it. 

They dissolve into chaos as Hide pounces at him and they don’t stop chasing each other around their room until their dads come in to tell them to calm down and to stop that ruckus. They bemoan that Hide is corrupting Kaneki and Hide protests, insisting that Kaneki was the one to start it, which absolutely no one believes. 

They’re cleaning up their room when Hide clears half his desk off, taking the stack of paper their dads gave Kaneki, and sets it down with a significant thud.

“We’re brothers now. Whatever happens, we got it. Together,” Hide says and to that Kaneki can only smile and agree.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments, kudos, and lurkers are all appreciated. <3


End file.
